Improvement in machines for making horseshoes



T. J. WEST.

Horseshoe Machine.

Patented Dec. 27,` 1864.

No. l, 45.651.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS J. INVEST, OF ALFRED, NEW YORK.

lNiPROVEIVlENT iN MACHINES FOR MAKING HORSESHOE'S.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 45.661, dated December27, 1864.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, THOMAS J. WEST, of thetown of Alfred, in the county of Allegany and State of New York, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Horseshoe- Machines; and I dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the construction and operation of the saine, referencebeing had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specilication,in which Figure l is a plan View of my improved machines for makinghorscshoes. Fig. 2 is a side view of that portion ot' the machine lwhichgives the desired shape and size to the shoe, showing it detached orbroken from the other portion of it; Fig. 3, a vertical section ot' thepunching and splitting apparatus part ot' the machine, as indicated bythe line x y in Fig. 1.

Like letters indicate like parts in all iigures of the drawings.

The nature ot' my invention has reference to the construction of anadjustable bed and pressure'roller; also in the construction andarrangement of a device for creasing the shoe to any desired length ordept-h after it has been made, and also in an apparatus or devicewhereby the shoe may be punched to any desired angle. It' the iron formaking the shoe is found too wid'e, by removing the punch and insertingthe spliting-tool (as seen in Figs. 4 and 5) it may be narrowed.

My improvement relates to three distinct operations of making andfinishing the shoe,

all of which are combined in one machine,y

and which I will hereinafter particularly describe.

To enable any one skilled in the art to make and use my invcntion,I willproceed to describe its construction and operation.

I have two upright sides, A A', whose top surfaces have a peculiarcurve, (as seen in Fig. 2.) They are secured in a proper mannerto abase-plate, X. Between themis the adjustable bed A, supported by twoarms or plates, I l, diverging from a given point, to the outer sidesot' the bed, as seen clearly in Fig. 2 in dotted lines, one plate or armlapping over the other, with slots in them of suiiicient size to allowthe bed to be adjusted to different heights and different angles ofinclination, and through which passes a bolt, L, securingthem to theuprights on the inside. It will be observed that the upper surface ofthebed is provided with l longitudinal grooves corresponding in theirtransverse curvature with that of the edge of the shoe-blank, which arefor the purpose of steadying the shoe-pattern while it is being shapedinto a shoe. Immediately above the bed is the pressure-roller B, whosesurface corresponds with the surface of the bed below. On each end ofthis roller there is a cog-wheel, F, the cogs of which mesh with thoseot' a curved ratchet, D, on the outside of the uprights, as seen clearlyin Fig. 2. In the uprights are curved slots B, as seen in thesametigure, which guide the roller in its reciprocating movements whenthe latter is acted on by the crankhandle C.

Operation: After the iron has been subjected to a suflicient heat andreduced to a shoe-pattern-that is, bent to an angle or in the shape of afork-one arm ot' the blank is then placed edgewise on the bed, thelatter being iirst adjusted by the supporting arms or plates underneath,as described above, and by turning the crank-handle the roller is madeto pass backward and forward over the edge of the iron until the arm hasbeen reduced to the proper width and curvature. The blank is thenreversed or turned over on the other edge, and is subjected to the sameoperation from the pressure of the roller until the other half is made.The shoe, thus complete as far as the shape and size are concerned, istrans- 'erred to the adjustable table T at the other end ot' themachine, where it receives the proper c1' easing,77 so termed inblacksmithing, to allow the nail-heads tobe countersunk. Theconstruction of this apparatus or part of the machine for doing this Iwill proceed to describe. I have two upright plates or bars, V V, whichsupport the oscillating block E, and through which passes a shaft, asolid beveled wheel, S, being attachod thereto, as seen in Figs. l and3. Underneath the block there is a lever, G, secured to the base-plateat one end by a chain, and supported by another chain suspended from theblock, the former serving as a fulcrum to the lever. The adjustabletable T is in the form of a segment ot' a circle, or it may be madenearly the shape of the shoe. Itis attached to the vertical portion of abent arm, W, the extreme end of the horizontal portion of which isbolted to the projecting part ot the baseplate sufficiently loose toallow the table to be moved in the radius of a circle. This ta.- ble issupported by a beveled friction-wheel, J, properly arranged on a post,as seen in Fig. 3.

Operation: When the shoe is placed on the table, the crease may be madeat any desired distance from the edge of the shoe by means of theadjusting-screws O O. Any length of crease may also be had by impartingto the table a greater or less vibratory movement, and the creasing maybe light or heavy, just as the operator desires. By placing one footupon the lever and turning the crank-handle C" he is enabled with theother hand to regulate the shoe on the table in its relation to thebeveled wheel as he wishes. The shoe is then transferred to the punchingapparatus, by which the nail-holes are formed. This apparatus is'constructed of two upright plates, M M, and bolted to two uprightprojections, W W, from the base-plate, sufficiently loose, to allow oftheir being moved to any angle desired in the punching of the shoe.Between the plates is a shaft, on which are two eccentric hollow wheels,H H. In each of the hollow portions of the wheels are two othereccentric solid Wheels, rigidly secured or cast with the larger ones.Between the two latter is a bar, P, with a small cross-shaft, a, havingon each end a small friction-wheel, b, as seen in Fig. 3. The punch K isinserted in the punch-stock R, and held in place by amovable screw, C.The bar to which the two friction-wheels are connected is also insertedin the stock and held in a like manner, (as seen in the saine gure.)rThis stock is grooved on the Outer edges, and is guided by tongues onthe inside ot' the upright plates M. On the base-plate is the die-plateU. By removing the punch and inserting the splitting-tool and slippingthe die to one side, which may be done by loosening the set-screw Z, theiron, if fou'nd to be too wide, may, before being bent, be reduced inwidth. lt will thus be seen by this arrangement that a proper motion isimparted to the punch in the punching of the shoe by the turning of thecrankhandle C".

My machine is constructed entirely of iron.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim therein as new,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The adjustable curved bed and pressureroller, operating substantiallyin the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

2. The creasing appara-tus constructed and operated substantially asdescribed.

3. rI he punching apparatus, constructed and operating substantially asdescribed.

THOMAS J. -wisr Witnesses:

J. L. JOHNSON, A. B. WOODARD.

